The Housing and Essential Needs Program (HEN) of King County provides program participants rent assistance, utility and transportation assistance, as well as hygiene and cleaning products.

DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services) qualifies people for HEN; Catholic Community Services provides these services to King County eligible participants.

Those located outside of King County, will need to contact the HEN provider in their county for information about the services available. Click here for a HEN directory by county.

HEN is not an entitlement program, and under HEN, participants do not receive any cash. Program services are subjective to funding availability, and may be discontinued or reduced at any time.

Catholic Community Services can only distribute checks to landlords and/or utility companies. Documentation is required prior to payment. For more information on documentation, please view Documentation Requirements.

HOW TO ENROLL

Qualification for the HEN (Housing and Essential Needs) program is determined by DSHS (Department of Health and Human Services).

To qualify applicants must have:

A disability (physical and/or mental) AND

Have zero income*

Applicants must be evaluated and be deemed HEN eligible by DSHS before enrollment in the program.

Anyone who thinks they may meet the above criteria should go to their local DSHS office and apply.

Once applicant has been notified by DSHS to qualify for the HEN program, they need to schedule an appointment with a HEN Coordinator. To do this, they call the:

The phone is staffed and emails returned during business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday. Appointments are scheduled on a first-call first-scheduled basis. All new enrollees must attend an intake appointment before services are provided.

Appointments are scheduled with HEN Coordinators located in five DSHS offices: Belltown (downtown Seattle), White Center (Seattle), Kent, King North (at North Seattle Community College) and Federal Way. Due to the volume of clients served, we cannot accommodate walk-in clients. To schedule an appointment, or for further information please call the intake line at (206) 328-5755 during business hours. We also can be reached via e-mail for questions.

WHAT THE PROGRAM PROVIDES

Rent and Utility Assistance

Evaluation of the amount of
combined monthly rent and utility assistance will happen at the intake
appointment. For more information, please call 206-328-5755.

One-time move-in assistance
including application fee assistance may also be available depending on
the type of unit and the relationship with the landlord. Documentation of
formal rental relationship is required.

For those behind in rent and
or utility payments, assistance may be available on a one-time basis.

Starting
November 2014, HEN can no longer provide ongoing rent/utility payments for
those households living in subsidized housing as defined as public housing
(SHA, KCHA or RHA buildings) or those receiving a section 8 voucher.
Clients may be eligible for limited past due utility bill assistance.
Contact the
HEN program to find out more.

For rent assistance, provide either a lease, rental agreement, Pay or Vacate Notice, Eviction Notice, or a completed Certification of Payment Obligation from your family/friend. The person to whom you pay rent must also submit a W-9 form. Click here to download the W-9 form and have the person to whom you pay rent fill it out and sign it.

Pay or Vacate letter from landlord
indicating you must vacate housing if payment is not received in 14 days.
Only required if housed upon entry to the HEN program.

To receive utility
assistance for electricity, natural gas, propane (or other alternative heating
sources), water, sewer or garbage, you must provide a utility bill, a utility
shut off notice or late payment notice. We cannot assist with telephone, cable
or internet bills. If you are asking ONLY for utility assistance and NOT rent
assistance, the utility bill must be in YOUR name. Only limited assistance is available for
those who do not also have a rental obligation.

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INFORMATION FOR LANDLORDS

The HEN program works with
over 2,000 landlords to provide housing to clients. Landlords are private
businesses, non-profit housing providers, and or friends/family members.
Receiving payment through HEN is easy. We need a copy of your W9 form, a
complete rental agreement* or an Intent to Rent** letter and aLandlord Habitability Standards Certification form.

A lease or rental agreement must contain the following
elements to be approved:

Name of tenant

Name of Landlord (must own property or in the case of
Property Manager, must provide a property management agreement from the
landlord)

Address of rental property

Term of agreement (lease start and end date)

Rent rate and date due

Signature of tenant/date

Deposits (if any and what for/term)

Signature of landlord/date

An Intent to Rent letter must contain the following
elements:

Name of tenant

Name of landlord

Address of rental property

Term of agreement (lease start and end date)

Rent rate and date due

Deposits (if any and what for/term)

Amount of pro-rated (if needed) first month’s rent

Signature of landlord/date

Statement that payments will be refunded if tenant does not
move in.

**Accepted
in the case of new rentals where the Landlord is requiring that deposits and -first
month’s rent to be processed before move in. Lease must be submitted within 30 days
after letter.

*HEN has the discretion to approve or deny
payment to any rental agreement or lease.

Unlike a Section 8
voucher, HEN rental assistance is temporary.
Monthly HEN rental assistance is provided to participants as long as they are
enrolled in the HEN program. HEN can only guarantee monthly payments 90 days at
a time. At some point, it is expected that HEN recipients will need to begin
covering rental assistance with their own resources.

HEN program
conducts random inspections of rooms or apartments of program participants.
Living spaces must meet basic standards in order for participants to be able to
receive funding for their room or apartment.

ESSENTIAL NEEDS BANK

For those who are currently enrolled in the program and have already attended their initial intake appointment are able to come to the weekly, walk-in basis Essential Needs Bank. No appointment is required.

This is held every Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at the Catholic Community Services Randolph Carter Center located at 100-23rd Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144. Clients must bring their government issued ID in order to be served. Clients can pick up essential need items one time per month and transportation assistance every other month.

During the 2010 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature decided to end the Disability Lifeline (DL) cash grant. In November 2011, people who were receiving financial assistance through the Disability Lifeline program no longer received that money and were eligible for assistance through the HEN program. People continued to receive medical coverage through a program called Medical Care Services (MCS). Funding for the program is strictly provided by state funds and reviewed during the legislative budget review process each year. It is currently funded through 2014, however, level of funding may fluctuate depending on demand of program.

Starting January 1, 2014, all HEN existing clients will be eligible and automatically enrolled in Medicaid and their health coverage through Medical Care Services (MCS) will end. HEN participants will still need to comply with DSHS incapacity evaluations and/or reviews to remain eligible for HEN.

FAQs

Can I get a check the day of my appointment?

No, checks will not be issued on site. All checks will be mailed to landlords or utility companies.

I was just cut off benefits, can I still get money?

You must currently be enrolled in the HEN Program to be eligible for this funding.

Can I get housing assistance more than once?

Yes, as long as you remain enrolled in HEN you can access rent and utility assistance.

I am homeless and don't have housing can I get assistance?

You may be eligible for transportation assistance, and/or hygiene and cleaning products. Your Coordinator will discuss options for housing search assistance.

Will my friend or family member have to pay taxes on the rent paid to them?

Possibly. Your friend or family member may call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 to ask about how these payments may affect their taxes. If they receive government assistance, it may also affect those benefits.

Can I walk into the DSHS office without an appointment to get a new ORCA card or gas voucher from a HEN Coordinator?

No, you must call the intake line (206) 328-5755 or click here to send an email to verify you are eligible for a new monthly ORCA card or gas voucher and reserve an appointment with your Coordinator.